Hizb ut-Tahrir resurgence: A wake-up call for our law enforcement agencies

For the last few days, Dhaka city was full of distinctive orange-black posters of the banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir's 'March for Khilafat'. The posters called for the Muslims to join the march to establish the so-called Khilafat. Social media was flooded with sponsored posts, and numerous bot accounts and fake IDs promoted the event. 

On 8 March, (Friday) the much-publicised event kicked off. Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) activists had already gathered around Baitul Mukarram Mosque, and as soon as the Jummah prayer concluded, they began their procession. 

Initially, there was minimal resistance from the police. However, once the march crossed the mosque area and reached Bijoy Nagar, the situation quickly escalated. The police responded by firing teargas shells, sound grenades, and charging with truncheons to disperse the crowd. 

Several activists were detained during the march. Since then, 36 HT activists have been detained. 

The banned group seems to be gaining confidence, fueled by the growing law and order issues and the lack of strong action from law enforcement. The situation worsened to the point where petrol bombs were thrown at Mohammadpur's Shashya Prabartana, a grocery store for organic food owned by fisheries and livestock adviser Farida Akhtar and writer Farhad Mazhar, later that night. 

The march and the immunity against publicity that HT has enjoyed have raised many questions among the citizens. How this particular banned organisation was able to gather, promote their radical ideologies, and roam freely campaigning on the streets has baffled the people, who fear a resurgence of radicalism and extremism in post-uprising Bangladesh. 

History and ideology

HT emerged in East Jerusalem, Palestine, in 1953 as a response to the perceived decline of Islamic governance and aimed to restore the Caliphate, uniting all Muslim-majority countries under a single Islamic state. 

HT's ideology is based on pan-Islamism, with a vision of re-establishing a caliphate governed strictly by Sharia law. The group rejects democracy and liberalism, considering them Western impositions that contradict Islamic principles. 

It views nationalism as a divisive force and calls for the abolition of nation-states in favour of a united Islamic polity. While HT officially claims to be non-violent, it supports jihad as a means to expand Islamic governance.

HT has been widely criticised for its radical ideology and subversive activities. Western governments and Muslim-majority countries alike have accused the group of inciting extremism and spreading antisemitic rhetoric. 

In several Muslim countries, including Bangladesh, HT has been accused of attempting to infiltrate governments and armed forces, leading to multiple failed coup attempts, as their goal is to take over the country via a military coup. 

The group's rejection of democratic governance and its call for an Islamic revolution have further fuelled concerns about its destabilising influence​. 

HT Bangladesh was banned on 22 October 2009. Some people claimed that the group wanted to establish a caliphate in Bangladesh and did not support democracy in the country. 

Back then, Mohiuddin Ahmed, a former Dhaka University teacher, is said to have been the chief coordinator of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Bangladesh. He was forced into retirement after the organisation was banned in 2009. 

He was charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act in 2016. Even though their posters were sometimes visible on streets, they were mostly underground till now. 

Before that, Egypt banned HT in 1974 following an attempted coup, while Pakistan outlawed it in 2003 over allegations of militant recruitment. Indonesia revoked its legal status in 2017, citing risks to national unity. 

Turkey declared HT illegal due to its opposition to secular governance, and Saudi Arabia and Gulf states banned it for its anti-monarchy stance. Notably, all Arab countries except Lebanon, Yemen, and the UAE have outlawed HT due to its opposition to existing regimes.

In Central Asia and other regions, Russia designated HT as a terrorist organisation in 2003, and Kazakhstan banned it in 2005 for extremist activities. 

In Western countries, Germany banned HT in 2003 for antisemitic propaganda and ties to extremist networks, and the United Kingdom proscribed it in January 2024 for promoting terrorism and inciting violence.  

Why is HT so bold? 

A marked difference between HT and other banned organisations is that HT is bolder and more public in its approach. 

While eight more radical outfits—Ansarullah Bangla Team, Ansar Al Islam, Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh, Allahr Dal, Shahadat E al-Hikma, and Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hind al-Sharqiya—are banned in Bangladesh under the Anti-terrorism Act, none has been able to stage a march in broad daylight after long publicity both online and offline. 

Moreover, Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of Awami League, is banned under the very same act. The law enforcement agencies have cracked down upon BCL, yet HT has slipped through its pangs. 

Regularly, activists from BCL are arrested under the act. Yet, the law enforcement agencies are less responsive when it comes to HT activists, even when they regularly promote themselves in many key points in Dhaka. 

Residents of Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur and Mirpur have experienced HT members coming to them and preaching their ideology. Since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, HT members have been seen distributing leaflets among the mosque-goers after Jummah prayers. And they also discourage people from throwing their leaflets away claiming that it is a sin to throw away any paper that has the verse of Quran and Hadith written on it. 

"We need to ramp up the surveillance and intelligence activities on them. Otherwise, they will utilise the deteriorating law and order situation. They must not be given any space or shown any leniency. As long as they are a banned organisation, they must be prevented everywhere."

Nurul Huda, former IGP

More importantly, HT has been active since 5 August. They set up booths in many parts of Dhaka city. They distributed black flags used by ISIS among school and college students and brought them to the so-called 'Kalima March'. Yet, the law enforcement agencies could not make any arrests before 6 March. 

It is surprising because the promoters of HT were not particularly hiding their identities. Under Section 18 of the Anti-terrorism Act, being or claiming to be a member of a prohibited entity is an offence punishable by up to six months in prison, a fine, or both. 

Supporting a proscribed entity is also a serious crime. This includes inviting others to support such an entity, organising meetings to promote its activities, or making speeches or disseminating information through media to facilitate its operations. A conviction for these offences carries a prison term of two to seven years, with the possibility of an additional fine. 

Now, the question arises—Why is HT so bold while the other terrorist outfits are laying low? 

Major General (Rtd) Abdullah Nurul Muhammad Muniruzzaman, the president of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), thinks that HT is fuelled by ideology. 

"HT is an ideology-based group that works on people's hearts and minds. Also, they have the organisational capability to operate in public. Therefore, their activities are more visible." 

"HT wants to clash with the authorities to attract more people to their cause. So, they are carrying out bold actions," said Muhammad Nurul Huda, former Inspector General of Police of Bangladesh Police. 

"According to the law, they are conducting a criminal offence, but to them, they are doing the right thing. Now, they are more visible because they are more organised. 

Is the March for Khilafah a failure of the law enforcement agencies? 

Despite the wide publicity, the law enforcement agencies were unable to arrest the main organisers or prevent the procession. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said that they would take necessary legal action if HT held any meetings, rallies, or other publicity regarding their organisation, but the event could start nonetheless. 

The night before, three HT activists were arrested from Uttara and several were detained from the march. But the key leaders and organisers are yet to be caught.

Is this a failure for the law enforcement agencies? Major General Muniruzzaman thinks so. 

"They should not have been allowed to bring out their procession in the first place," he said. "It is one kind of failure for the agencies. They have been preaching their ideologies publicly for a while. When they were organising, they should have been stopped. The agencies should have been more proactive to prevent the organisers." 

"HT is a proscribed banned organisation. So, the law enforcement agencies should have taken preventive measures to stop them from gathering near the spot (Baitul Mukarram)," said Muhammad Nurul Huda. 

"Adequate actions weren't taken against them," he added, "especially when supporting or joining any banned organisation is punishable under the Anti-terrorism Act." 

"If the law enforcement agencies remain lenient, then HT will be definitely emboldened. Especially if the specialised units that are supposed to deal with terrorist outfits are not mobilised, HT will continue to operate. We need more intelligence and surveillance on them," said Major General Muniruzzaman. 

"We need to ramp up the surveillance and intelligence activities on them. Otherwise, they will utilise the deteriorating law and order situation," said Nurul Huda, "They must not be given any space or shown any leniency. As long as they are a banned organisation, they must be prevented everywhere."